Water District Makes A Splash With Its New Water Conservation Campaign

The Santa Clara Valley Water District today launched a new water conservation campaign urging every individual to save 20 gallons (http://www.save20gallons.org/) everyday by taking small actions than can result in big savings.

San Jose (Vocus)May 21, 2009-- The Santa Clara Valley Water District today launched a new water conservation campaign urging every individual to save 20 gallons (http://www.save20gallons.org/) everyday by taking small actions than can result in big savings. The campaign follows a 15% mandatory water reduction call by the district board of directors because of the statewide drought and a growing concern about water deliveries through the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. Water through the Delta makes up almost half of our supplies.

The campaign, designed around people's daily activities involving water use, includes TV, radio, newspaper, billboard and online advertisements. In order to reach our diverse population, ads will be in English, Spanish, Vietnamese and Chinese. The goal of the campaign is to educate and inform Santa Clara Valley residents about how they can reduce water consumption by 15%, which translates to about 20 gallons a day per person.

On March 24, the district board passed a resolution declaring a water shortage alert and calling upon the cities, the county and water retailers to immediately activate their existing drought ordinances and enforce a mandatory 15% reduction in water use. Since the call, the cities of San Jose and Morgan Hill have already implemented drought restrictions. Meanwhile, to help the residents achieve the conservation goal, the district is stepping up its annual public education and outreach effort.

"To reach our goal of a 15% reduction in water use, we're all going to have to work together," said Board Chair Sig Sanchez. "I believe people want to make a difference, but it's up to us to educate them about how they can conserve water."

The campaign created by The Hive Advertising, a Bay Area agency, is designed to make water conservation more relatable to peoples' lives and provides specific, easy to accomplish tips for water conservation, while issuing a call-to-action to "Save 20 gallons."

While the ads convey important water conservation messages and tips, they do so in a way that entertains and engages the viewer. Recent research has shown that the public is interested in conserving, but need information on how to do it. In addition, the audiences are tired of being bogged down with negative messages and don't want to be told what not to do. As a result, the new campaign utilizes humor and the "can do" spirit of the community. Also, the ads are animated so they will appeal to children and adults alike.

To check out our new TV ads or to learn more about our new marketing campaign and about how everyone can work together to make a difference by saving 20 gallons a day, visit www.save20gallons.org.

The Santa Clara Valley Water District manages water resources and provides stewardship for the county's five watersheds, including 10 reservoirs, hundreds of miles of streams and groundwater basins. The water district also provides flood protection throughout Santa Clara County.

Contact: Susan Siravo

Office: (408) 265-2607, ext. 2290

Cell: (408) 398-0754

###